THE FIRST TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE FIRST TRIAL

[Soon after the final clue is found, there are three more loud, unsettling tonal clangs, all which go right to the bone. No matter where they are, the Titled will hear another, loud creak.

The set of doors on the left are slowly opening, revealing a long, long corridor, with a very long flight of stairs going upwards, just barely visible at the end of it.

The Intercessor's voice booms through the air and shakes the ground, sounding loud and clear no matter where the Titled might be standing at that moment.]

ENTER!

[The voice brooks no argument. As soon as everyone goes through the set of double doors, they close behind them. There is no choice, and no turning back. The Titled must go up the stairs at the end of the hall. They feel like they take forever, but when the stairs are finally traversed, there is a single door at the top, already open to them.

Welcome to the Debate Hall, Titled. Its the best-lit place you've seen, with gas lamps on the wall bright as possible. Its also the emptiest place they've ever seen so far - its massive and yet the Titled and the Intercessor are the only individuals to be seen in the entire area.

Seems, because there is faint chanting coming from the darkness behind that stage at the other end. There's no real way to hear what's being said, no matter how close you try to get. No way to check if there's even anyone on or behind the stage to make such chanting possible. The only person remotely close to the stage, standing on the stone steps, is the Intercessor.

There is also a faint rumble in the air, as if the world itself mourns the crime committed.

So. Take your seats at your stone desks to face one another as you debate. And yes, they are stone. Yes, they have stone chairs with which to sit in. And yes, your Title is on your assigned chair, etched in with chisel and hammer. Every desk also has a copy of the Writs with Orders 7 and 8 circled, and a copy of the autopsy file of the deceased on top of it; that is all the aid you will get from whoever brought you here. The rest, it seems, is up to the Titled, with what they have found.

Seats 7 and 8 are empty. Their copies of the rules and evidence lay untouched.

Once everyone has taken their seats, the strange, ominous chanting stops. Its time. Bound in blood, the death warrant has already been signed. The contract is complete. Its now just a question of finding the guilty party to fulfill the call for justice.

So, get ready, Titled.

The Inquisition of Laslow, the Spinner, has begun.]

Comments

[intercessing]

[The Intercessor sits on the steps, folding their arms, looking at everyone.]

As this is the first time...

[And hopefully the last...]

I will simply say, take your time. If there are questions you must ask me, you may. Within reason.But be aware - I may not be able to answer all of your questions and you shouldn't...simply rely on me.

Use what you know to find the truth, no matter where it may lead.

[almightyconflagration]

I think this seems rather simple. The victim's burns could only have been caused by a use of a power to make fire appear. We should start with figuring out who has such a power still.

[pursuitofbeauty]

"Has anyone revealed their powers to anyone else yet? I cannot imagine that would be the case, as it could immediately draw suspicion depending on the nature of the power."

[kiddefender]

I thought we couldn't use magic here? I mean I'm not very good at it so I haven't tried. But fire magic is one of the more common types.

[carries_war]

[Rubedo doesn't sit at his podium. Instead he stands (possibly on the chair, depending on how high it is), in a strict upright posture. When he speaks, the tones might remind some of a military debriefing. Coldly professional.]

I was one of the people who discovered the body. It was buried under a pile of what looked like every dagger in the armory, but otherwise the room looked normal. I didn't see any signs someone moved the body, either, so I think whatever happened was over before it had any chance to knock anything down. The daggers were probably put there on purpose, either to hide the body or discourage people from getting too close to it.

Killua found two bloody daggers, but I confirmed that the corpse was only stabbed once. Unless there was an unusual amount of spray from a puncture wound, I think there's a good chance that the killer was wounded during whatever short struggle there was.

[defriendestration]

WHAT!??

YOU SAID THERE WAS A DAGGER PARTY!!

[lightnen]

[ Killua nodded in agreement with what Rube do said, glad he was able to take charge of things so easily. He didn't even have to mention the daggers or anything as it was already done. ]

I agree with what he said on both counts! I also think that because there's the real possibility that one of us is injured, shouldn't there be a way to check and see who here is uninjured and who isn't?

[kiddefender]

[Raph's here, and her gloves are covered in dirt. She's just going to put the bit of paper and key she found on the table in front of her.]

Someone asked to meet him in the library. Did anyone look there?

[defriendestration]

OH OH OH OH OH I DID!!!!!!

IT WAS A MESS!!

[poorlovefool]

[This place is creeping Eric the fuck out, with the chanting and the rumbles and everything. So he's just been standing here hugging himself, but when that's brought up, he looks over at Papyrus first... then back to her.]

Y-Yeah, I checked it out a bit. There was this outline in blood on the desk. Never found what it went to, though...

Hand comparisons

[almightyconflagration]

[McBurn places a diagram he just made with a rough shape of the burn wounds that he recreated.]

Here's what the burn wounds looked like. [The shape is somewhat round and he'll demonstrate how he placed his hand to get the shape like that.]

It's a bit bigger than the actual wounds, but we should be able to rule some people out with a comparison and the memory of the people who saw them.

[For a reference, McBurn's roughly around 6 foot and his hands are a pretty average size for an adult male of his stature and the actual wounds are smaller than that.]

[pursuitofbeauty]

Yusuke places his hand on the diagram the way McBurn did. With his long fingers, it's not a match.

[zephyranthe]

[Fie, being a shortstack, has pretty small hands and her hands fit into the wound shape, although there's no match for the perimeter of the wound.]

[kiddefender]

[Raphtalia is stupidly tall for a ten year old, not that she's actually told anyone her real age. Or going to.

But fittingly for her appearance, her hand is about average for what you'd except from a 20-year old woman. Do it match? She doesn't exactly pay attention to hands. Though the thick leather gloves she's wearing probably make them look a little larger.]

[defriendestration]

[Papyrus' skeletal hand doesn't match.]

[poorlovefool]

Oh, that's a good idea...

[Especially because Eric has man hands that will definitely not fit.]

Let's All Strip Together

[zephyranthe]

Strip search time. Let's get this over with.

[Fie won't have any problem stripping herself although she will preferentially do it in front of the girls only and it can be seen that there aren't any recent wounds on her.]

[pursuitofbeauty]

Yusuke carefully sheds his clothing, leaving himself in only underwear. Aside from the fact that he is shockingly thin, there are no other wounds on his body.

[socialhacktivist]

...in Laslow's room, I found a bunch of letters addressed to Harley. They were just the ones that they were sending us with the rules on it, but...

[Futaba closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.]

...one of them had blood on it.

[poorlovefool]

H-Huh? Seriously?!

Then that's even more suspicious!

[almightyconflagration]

So since one idiot doesn't seem convinced on some points, let's go over what we have so far again and who our most likely suspect is.

So first, the victim was stabbed. Two knives were found with blood on them. Only one wound, this means the culprit may be injured, but it wasn't a drawn out fight.

Second, after the victim died, the culprit inflicted burn wounds with fire. No tools were found to have created the fire, which leads to it being a power. The wounds themselves look to have been caused by smaller hands, either a female or child's. No one shows burn marks on their hands so far.

Third, it was mentioned that someone showed fire abilities.

Fourth, letters were found with blood on them addressed to Harley in the victim's room.

If no one else has anything more to add, I think we have a fair idea who the culprit is.

[poorlovefool]

[Wow, he resents being called out as an idiot here!! But.]

...I-I guess that does make the most sense...

[intercessing]

[For the love of--ok that does it.

The Intercessor stands, and lets out one single word as they shout.]

ENOUGH!

[It's...powerful, powerful enough to even take them aback at just how...forceful it is. The very floor shakes, and bones vibrate from the force of the sound. Smaller or thinner individuals might even find themselves staggering a bit from it. The word echoes for moments, before finally dying down.

Once everyone's stopped, the Intercessor clears their throat, their tone low.]

Everyone take their seats now. This is your lives at stake. This is a person's death that we are talking about, and I will not let this devolve into a pointless fight. Do it again and I will intervene more forcefully.

[Again, with more authority. For those who didn't get it the first time.]

TAKE YOUR SEATS!

[Someone just try and take it up with them.]

[pursuitofbeauty]

Yusuke hasn't moved, except for a shuddering flinch at that booming voice. He wishes he could reach Futaba from his seat, but he can't and he's not about to test the Intercessor's patience by trying to go to her or coaxing her to join him at his desk. He's afraid to even ask everyone to calm down, for her sake but also theirs as well.

"Please... we need to do this, no matter how awful it is."

[bythewaves]

Maglor's voice is soft, but it carries, clear and commanding. He's talking to them all, but his first words are to the Intercessor.

"I said to you before that my life is worth nothing. Would your masters accept substitution? I will take the guilty's place."

He shrugs a little. "There were clothes in the water. A full set. The sleeve of one was torn by a blade. No way of knowing who wore them."

[defriendestration]

NYEH!? NO!! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT!!

[carries_war]

[Okay, since the wound check went nowhere...]

It looks like nobody's hurt, but Maglor found something else that should help narrow down the suspects. We should take a look at those clothes he found and see which of us they'd fit best.

[defriendestration]

WON'T IT FIT LESS WITH THAT CUT THE ELF MENTIONED??

[pursuitofbeauty]

There's nothing else he can do. They have him dead to rights, cornered by the evidence left behind from circumstance after terrible circumstance. He has no option but surrender.

He knows it's his fault. Told about his new power--no, a curse-- but not how to activate it, or more precisely how not to activate it. All he'd wanted was to comfort Laslow, to give him a feeling of camaraderie as the Phantom Thieves had shown to him. Instead he'd set them both on the path to their deaths. Life is cruel, he's always known that, but now it feels more cold and empty than it had even under Madarame's thumb. These people who could have been comrades, perhaps even friends, would look upon him as an aberration, a monster for the blood he spilled.

His arms rest on the stone desk, his lanky frame slumped over it, fists clenched and trembling as he sobs. He was a fool to think they could escape. He's the scapegoat, the sacrifice to prove to the others that hope is gone.

Despair.

"Futaba...." He can barely speak, his voice thick with tears. He's so tired. "I'm so sorry...."

Heartbreak.

He's a coward, isn't he? He doesn't want them to die in his stead, but... he's so afraid.

"I never meant for this to happen...."

Regret.

[defriendestration]

...

............


.......................................


YOU MEAN...YOU REALLY...?

VOTING

[intercessing]

[Once everything has died down, the Intercessor slowly pulls themselves up to their full height, taking deep, long, breaths. There is no need to shout this time.

Gods, this all feels so laughably rote even though its the very first time.]

...It is now time to come to a consensus on this matter...Titled.

Voting here is a simple action. Call out the name or Title of the one you believe is the culprit. A majority vote will be sufficient for a conviction. You are free to abstain, though bear in mind there must be a majority regardless of how many vote, for any chance of being successful. If no one votes...it is the same as letting the culprit go free.

[Their words are calm, as calm as they can make them. Their body language betrays just how utterly unsettled and angry they are, however.]

Begin.

[goodnightbats]

[Harley raises her hand]

Yusuke.

EXECUTION: Promise Broke

[intercessing]

[The Intercessor waits, hearing everyone's vote. As they do so, their eyes narrow again, as if hearing something else. They look over to the always-empty seats, before turning back and speaking again.

Their tone is somber.]

...The vote is 11 for Indulgent, with 3 abstaining.

...I am so very sorry, Indulgent.

[Instantly, Yusuke is firmly grabbed by invisible hands, and quietly dragged up to the stage. The Intercessor brings out a small, bone-like dagger, which they stare at before proceeding to approach Yusuke as the invisible figures begin to bring him into the shadows.]

I promise you I will make this quick painless.

[Yusuke nods, a moment of quiet, sad peace on his face as he closes his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

The ground rumbles.

"I'll be with you soon, Mother."

They are his last words.

But not because the Intercessor killed him, no.

Oh no.

That would be too easy.

Almost instantly after those words tumble out of his mouth, there is a sudden BANG on the ceiling of the stage. A second BANG causes the ceiling to give way entirely, knocking everyone to the floor, and at last revealing the massive, green-and-dark brown, festering head and glowing eyes of the real executor.

Screams come from the shadows.

It's a dragon.]

K R O O O O O

[It's a sickly thing as it abruptly bends its head down, bringing its forelegs into the room with a slam, as if its front is being painfully shoved in. But it is strong, and horrifying. Hands and arms or all shapes and sizes seem to stretch from beneath the very skin of its neck and legs, pushing out, trying to hold onto something to pull, while the teeth seem to shift and change with every passing second from sharp to nothing to human-sized. Its eyes are unfocused, wide, and pinpricks beneath dark scelera. Almost like the Intercessor's, but on a very different face.

The Intercessor tries to get up to get Yusuke away.]

NO--

[They are abruptly backhanded away by arms and more arms into the nearest wall.

The dragon's roar strains as if to speak.]

S I S S S S S S

[Yusuke manages to stand, looking back at the group, terrified, then back at the dragon as it wails. He hesitates, as if to run to the group, and surely he could as even the invisible hands once holding him seem to have fled in terror. But he stops after one step, looking up again at the beast. Staring at its face.

And after a moment, clenches his fists and stands his ground.

As if on cue, the dragon snaps. The first bite brings the upper half of Yusuke into its mouth. The second devours him whole with a loud CRUNCH, small bits of blood splattering and dripping on the floor beneath, before wobbling, almost limping for a moment, staring at the survivors.

And then at the Intercessor, still reeling from the smack, last.]

K R O O---

[It lets out a strangled sound as, suddenly, its head and arms lifts up uselessly, smacking into the side of the whole it made, before disappearing into the darkness beyond the Depths.

The Intercessor was, at least, right about one thing.

It was a quick death.]

[carries_war]

[THAT IS NOT WHAT HE EXPECTED. Mostly fearless Rubedo may be, but even he can be intimidated, and a look of pure horror on his face proves as much. For a second, he's still tempted to try to save Yusuke. He crouches down as if ready to charge, but then his eyes fall on the Intercessor, prone and stunned. The distraction lasts just long enough for him to be too late. All he can do is watch helplessly as an innocent person, guilty only of having a power he didn't know how to use, is devoured in front of him.

As the dragon leaves, Rubedo just stands there silently, hand gripping his left arm tightly. Those who were paying attention during the strip search or who saw him butchering meat in short sleeves before might notice that his hand is firmly covering the head of his dragon tattoo.]